Although there is a local legend in Glendale that the institution of slavery was fought by many who volunteered as “conductors” on the Underground Railroad there is little hard evidence to identify the families involved.

To say that smuggling runaway slaves was a secret and unlawful effort is an understatement. These crusaders against the tyranny of slavery risked everything to follow their beliefs. If caught, tried and convicted, any person found guilty of transporting runaway slaves could loose their property and be jailed for substantial periods. On one side it was a moral issue and on the other side it was a legal and property rights issue. It is no wonder that even after the Emancipation Proclamation, the shadowy liberators did not step forth to identify themselves and their heroic deeds. Thus, except for the one documented case of John Van Zandt, we have no concrete information on the local Underground Railroad efforts.

There are many stories about Glendale’s involvement with the Underground Railroad and many of the families and church congregations in the village were known to have been ardent abolitionists. But the only tangible evidence may be the rumored tunnels and forgotten underground rooms and cells that may have been resting places for those oppressed, black fugitives striving for freedom in Canada.